Husband of 'Real Housewives' star NeNe Leakes dies at 66

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Gregg Leakes, the husband of 'œThe Real Housewives of Atlanta" star NeNe Leakes, has died. He was 66.

Family friend and publicist, Ernest Dukes, said Wednesday in a statement that Gregg Leakes died after a 'œlong battle with cancer.'ť Dukes said he died peacefully in his home while being surrounded by his children and his wife, whom he often appeared with on the popular Bravo reality television show.

'œToday the Leakes family is in deep pain with a broken heart,'ť Dukes said.

Gregg and NeNe Leakes first married in 1997, two years before the couple's son, Brentt, was born. NeNe Leakes had one child from a past relationship while Gregg Leakes had five other children.

The couple divorced in 2011, but they reconciled and married for a second time a couple years later.

In 2018, the reality star revealed on her Instagram account that her husband had been diagnosed with colon cancer.